OK not really a Dummies guide as there are some complex elements in here, but one has to use whatever memes are in vogue 🙂 A few weeks ago I was commissioned by Screen Australia to write a very basic structure & guide for producers relatively new to multi platform content to structure & document their propositions, after they have developed the ‘audience centric’ concepts. This has just been published on the Screen Australia site as a digital resource for those needing to document projects for transmedia productions.

Background? I had already been using a range of structures in my 17 years as cross media producer (BBC, MUVEDesign, GaryHayes.TV etc:) and lecturer (recently Multi Platform course lead at LAMP, Australian Film TV and Radio School, Metro Screen & many international workshops). These structures are used by students and professionals in ‘growing’ their documentation but also crystallising their ideas into a formal shareable team document – often to go along with a presentation or pitch.

There are many ways to construct this kind of resource for a production team but I broke it into five clear sections – Story/Treatment, Function, Design, Technical and Business, all, like transmedia itself, with connecting tissue and blended narrative arcs 🙂 I am always keen on making the documentation as user centric as possible and that is the focus here, keeping an eye on story, user need and a structure to encourage you to think all the time about whether this is something, someone will truly use! This is also one of 30+ chapters in my Networked Media Storytelling Book much closer to publication – but keeping up with Augmented Reality and Social Media areas, tricky 🙂

The writing guide is free to download from the Screen Australia site, link below the introduction. Enjoy

This document is intended to provide a useful, best-practice guide to the thinking, planning, documentation and supporting materials required when developing a property across multiple media platforms. It is predominantly aimed at the producers of such projects, who have responsibility for the overall direction of all key areas, and should inform the input they need from their various multi-disciplinary team members.

The bible that this document will guide you towards is not a production bible in the traditional sense – a format document for franchising a TV property into other markets – but rather a catch-all that covers key components of a complex multi-platform service. Your bible may be extended to a full production reference document as the sections it contains become more detailed. Some sections across each ‘chapter’ may appear to be repetitive but should reflect a different perspective and specialisation on common areas of the project.

The Transmedia Production Bible is primarily a document that captures key story and design IP elements, rules of engagement, functionality and technical issues across multiple platforms, and an overview of the business/marketing plan. Each of the five main sections requires specialist members of the project team to be responsible for its development as the service goes from conception to production and the document becomes a fully detailed production bible.

You don’t necessarily need to follow this structure precisely as the final format will depend on the range of content, scope and scale of your proposition – the amount of story, technical complexity, business elements or design thinking, etc. The suggested length of each section is for guidance only, and the included diagrams are intentionally simplistic to encourage your own interpretations.

And Just for fun: Get your Transmedia brains working. First a Social Multi Platform TV Brief O’Matic. Instructions on the first screen.

for even more fun: The Windmills of your Transmedia Mind – a user journey randomiser

Instructions for above:

Choose ‘auto’ (default) and just watch it in veg out mode

Choose ‘manual’ then click the top right red button for each of the ‘next’ steps

Choose ‘about’ for a little description…

A Cross Media User Journey…should describe the route a user takes through a complex multi platform service. It can refer to their thought processes, the actions they take at various points, the story fragments that are revealed at each junction as they travel across a plethora of channels, devices and forms. It often captures the essence of their UX, user experience and is often displayed as a flow chart.

39 Responses to “Dummies Guide to Writing a Transmedia Production Bible”

the pdf looks like a good outline… but under project purposes…WHY only “social good” 😉 how come we cant design Transmedia Productions that will cause Social Ill’s?;) i mean we can make them “commercial to make money”, as well as “commercail to lose money”..or am i the only one who ever saw “The Producers” ?

Thanks cube3 – it was indeed meant to be a structure in which to gather ones thoughts.

I think we have had quite a few TM prods that have caused illness! 🙂 I should have included that one, although I suspect that and commercial gain vs loss are rarely purposes (they might be inadvertent outcomes!) – and yes I realise you are pulling ones leg 🙂

I didn’t know how make this transmedia poduction. But your social multi-platform TV samplee seems nice and interesting to learn. I wish I could learn this through reading your dummies guide to writing a transmedia production. I also like the animation of the adobe flash player on the last picture.

this is really a very interesting software which I have never come across. I guess this will really help in using this to the best to of my utility. I really loved it and I am sure I will share this with every one who needs it in my circle.